1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an improved apparatus for broadcast spreading particulate material onto a variety of outdoor surfaces while mounted to a moving vehicle or stationary structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
A broadcast spreader (also known as a rotary spreader) is a device commonly used to distribute particulate material in a calibrated spread pattern onto a variety of outdoor surfaces. The particulate material may be powdered, granulated, or aggregated matter, such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, seeds, pelletized lime, grains, sands, salts, animal feeds, food plot products, and the like. Suitable outdoor surfaces include fields, pastures, golf courses, lawns, roads, driveways, sidewalks, and lands and bodies of water used by domesticated animals, game animals, livestock, wildlife, birds, or fish.
A broadcast spreader differs from a drop spreader because a broadcast spreader distributes particulate material out and away from the device while a drop spreader only distributes material down, below the device. As a result, a broadcast spreader can cover a given surface area with particulate material more efficiently and effectively, making it a preferred alternative to using a drop spreader. A broadcast spreader may also be fitted with directional fins or a directional assembly to control the direction the particulate material is thrown from the device. A typical broadcast spreader generally comprises a container having at least one outlet port, a spreader member positioned below the container's outlet port(s), a means for releasing the particulate material from the container, and a means for rotating the spreader member to distribute the particulate material over a given surface area.
Such a broadcast spreader may be mounted on a self-propelled vehicle such as a tractor, an all-terrain vehicle, a utility vehicle, a truck or the like, or on a separate cart or trailer towed behind a self-propelled vehicle or carried by a person. Alternatively, a broadcast spreader may be mounted on wheels with a handle for a person to manually push or pull the device across a given surface area. A broadcast spreader may also be mounted on a stationary structure such as a game feeder support assembly for feeding wildlife, or a dock, flotation device, or the like for feeding fish.
Some types of such broadcast spreaders have means for closing the outlet port(s) such as sliding gates and the like, and others have no closure means but instead rely on particulate material piling up on the spreader member to block the outlet port(s) when the spreader member is not being rotated to distribute the particulate material. It has been found in practice that the mechanisms used to start and stop the release of particulate material through the outlet port(s) of such broadcast spreaders are inadequate to prevent leakage, spillage, or jamming of particulate material, or to protect particulate material in the container from exposure to moisture. Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,035 to Johnson et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an improved broadcast spreader mechanism that includes a spreader apparatus and method for providing positive closure of the container's outlet port as soon as the motive power for the spreader member is stopped.
Unlike the prior art in Johnson et al., the instant invention positions the motor, which rotates the spreader member, inside the container and above the outlet port and spreader member rather than below the spreader member. Other examples of broadcast spreader mechanisms that include a motor positioned below the spreader member are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,583 to Foster et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,306,175 to Farmer, U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,293 to Farmer, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,866,579 to Chism. It has been found in practice that having the motor positioned below the spreader member requires higher mounting of the broadcast spreader for better ground clearance and exposes the motor to damage from the elements, varmints, and objects colliding with the motor.
A stationary feed dispensing apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,849,816 to Dollar, Jr. et al., which uses a motor mounted within a hopper to rotate a motor shaft connected to a fan blade positioned below a plurality of small openings in the base of the hopper. The apparatus lacks any means to close the small openings in the base of the hopper and allows feed to pile up on a sheet of metal mounted below the hopper when the fan blade is not rotating. The apparatus also dispenses feed in all directions through the gap between the base of the hopper and the sheet of metal. Such an arrangement would be unsuitable for the distribution of many other types of particulate material for their intended purposes. This apparatus is also unsuitable for use on moving equipment because of its susceptibility to leakage and spillage and lack of any means to control the direction the feed is thrown from the device. Even when used as a stationary feed dispenser, the apparatus lacks a means of protecting the feed from exposure to moisture or preventing spillage if the apparatus is bumped, jiggled, or tipped over. The apparatus also requires the motor to be fixedly attached to the base of the hopper separate from the plurality of small openings, which enables some of the feed around the motor not subject to the pull of gravity to remain in the hopper rather than fall through one of the small openings.
It is an object of the invention to start and stop the release of particulate material with the motor positioned within the container and connected to a spreader mechanism that provides for positive closure of the container's outlet port, which prevents leakage, spillage, or jamming of particulate material and protects particulate material in the container from exposure to moisture. It is another object of the invention to position the motor above the opening at the base of the container without blocking particulate material from being released from the container. It is another object of the invention to avoid exposure of the motor to damage from the elements, varmints, and objects colliding with the motor. It is another object of the invention to provide better ground clearance when the broadcast spreader is mounted lower to the ground, such as on a small vehicle or suspended wildlife feeder, which further improves access for filling the container at a lower level.